Bought a new-to-me E-M1

After much reflection, I purchased an E-M1 a couple days ago from an ad on Craigslist. (Funny that the rumor of the E-M1mk2 came out the day after!) My new-to-me E-M1 looks like new displaying only 3,400 on the shutter count. The trigger for the purchase was really this article: Better Family Photos: The Joys Of Owning An Olympus E-M1 (firmware v4.0) which highlighted some of my wishes owning the E-M5:
- better C-AF
- anti-shock improvements (the Panny 45-175 was terrible on the E-M5)

Now that I have spent a couple of days with it, I am finding that some improvements matter more than I thought they would:
- ergonomics (wow, everything you can wish for is at your fingertip)
- improved EVF
- higher max shutter speed, tethered shooting, WiFi, in-camera HDR, better responsiveness

After owning the E-M5 since it came out, I am finding myself re-learning how to use an Oly. Thanks to all the great resources, I have made much headway getting there. It has not been a simple process since the firmware updates have made so many improvements over the lifetime of the E-M1 that some of the information is either stale or actually misleading.

Talking about improvements, I am impressed that Olympus released so many new features that have made the E-M1 much more future-proof than other OM-D or PEN cameras. Kudos to them for that. Their flagship product has been a true flagship.

After much reflection, I purchased an E-M1 a couple days ago from an ad on Craigslist. (Funny that the rumor of the E-M1mk2 came out the day after!) My new-to-me E-M1 looks like new displaying only 3,400 on the shutter count. The trigger for the purchase was really this article: Better Family Photos: The Joys Of Owning An Olympus E-M1 (firmware v4.0) which highlighted some of my wishes owning the E-M5:
- better C-AF
- anti-shock improvements (the Panny 45-175 was terrible on the E-M5)

Now that I have spent a couple of days with it, I am finding that some improvements matter more than I thought they would:
- ergonomics (wow, everything you can wish for is at your fingertip)
- improved EVF
- higher max shutter speed, tethered shooting, WiFi, in-camera HDR, better responsiveness

After owning the E-M5 since it came out, I am finding myself re-learning how to use an Oly. Thanks to all the great resources, I have made much headway getting there. It has not been a simple process since the firmware updates have made so many improvements over the lifetime of the E-M1 that some of the information is either stale or actually misleading.

Talking about improvements, I am impressed that Olympus released so many new features that have made the E-M1 much more future-proof than other OM-D or PEN cameras. Kudos to them for that. Their flagship product has been a true flagship.

Click to expand...

Congrats on the acquisition of an amazing camera. I to came from the EM5 to the EM1 and felt the same way. The EM1 really is laid out very well, probably the best camera in that respects that I have ever used. I honestly feel it is just a tad to small, especially without the grip. With the grip it is almost perfect.

Congrats on the acquisition of an amazing camera. I to came from the EM5 to the EM1 and felt the same way. The EM1 really is laid out very well, probably the best camera in that respects that I have ever used. I honestly feel it is just a tad to small, especially without the grip. With the grip it is almost perfect.

Click to expand...

That was another factor in upgrading to the E-M1: the half-grip was spending a lot of time on my E-M5. So in terms of size and weight, they are about the same by the end of it.

That was another factor in upgrading to the E-M1: the half-grip was spending a lot of time on my E-M5. So in terms of size and weight, they are about the same by the end of it.

Click to expand...

Yes they are and my EM5 (which is my go every where with me camera) always has the half-grip on it. Even with the half-grip it is awkward because the placement of the shutter button is not the best where the EM1 is perfect.

Yes they are and my EM5 (which is my go every where with me camera) always has the half-grip on it. Even with the half-grip it is awkward because the placement of the shutter button is not the best where the EM1 is perfect.

Noticeably, you are right. I definitely liked the E-M1's weight and size better than that of the E-M5 with the half grip on.

Click to expand...

Noticeably? The EM5 with half-grip is 31grams heavier and while it is approximately 1/2 centimeter taller it is 1/2 centimeter shorter and the EM1 has larger/beefier grip. Essentially they are the same size but I prefer that extra height of the EM5 because it's just tall enough to fit my pinky finger (the EM1 it hangs off the bottom). I am hoping the make the mk2 just a bit taller to fit my finger. I place the current EM1 as just a bit to small and I have medium/small hands.

Noticeably? The EM5 with half-grip is 31grams heavier and while it is approximately 1/2 centimeter taller it is 1/2 centimeter shorter and the EM1 has larger/beefier grip. Essentially they are the same size but I prefer that extra height of the EM5 because it's just tall enough to fit my pinky finger (the EM1 it hangs off the bottom). I am hoping the make the mk2 just a bit taller to fit my finger. I place the current EM1 as just a bit to small and I have medium/small hands.

Click to expand...

I have large hands and I agree about the E-M1 being a tad short. When I first used the E-M1 I had a bad case of 'Pinky Fatigue' but with my PRO zooms I decided to try out the HLD7 Battery Grip for the E-M1 and my grip is perfect. I can shoot for hours in landscape or portrait mode without a lot of fatigue. You really need to handle the E-M1 personally to determine if the grip is right for your hands or maybe you might need the HLD7 for large hands.

I have large hands and I agree about the E-M1 being a tad short. When I first used the E-M1 I had a bad case of 'Pinky Fatigue' but with my PRO zooms I decided to try out the HLD7 Battery Grip for the E-M1 and my grip is perfect. I can shoot for hours in landscape or portrait mode without a lot of fatigue. You really need to handle the E-M1 personally to determine if the grip is right for your hands or maybe you might need the HLD7 for large hands.

Click to expand...

I got the grip with my EM1 and it only comes off to replace the battery. With the grip the camera is actually about perfect. I would love if they made the mk2 with integrated grip.

Noticeably? The EM5 with half-grip is 31grams heavier and while it is approximately 1/2 centimeter taller it is 1/2 centimeter shorter and the EM1 has larger/beefier grip. Essentially they are the same size but I prefer that extra height of the EM5 because it's just tall enough to fit my pinky finger (the EM1 it hangs off the bottom). I am hoping the make the mk2 just a bit taller to fit my finger. I place the current EM1 as just a bit to small and I have medium/small hands.

Click to expand...

Maybe I notice it more because of how I hold the camera. The grip of the E-M1 is a bit fatter than the 1/2 grip of the E-M5. I like that better.